Cost of Living Comparison Between Mali and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Mali and South Africa

🙂 Solo nomad: Mali is 1.1% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 17.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mali is 24% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 11% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.57 F CFA 3,717
$9.05 R 161
-27.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.06 F CFA 21.5K
$38.84 R 691
-2.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.24 F CFA 3,531
$4.9 R 87.1
27.35%
Cappuccino
$1.9 F CFA 1,078
$1.98 R 35.28
-4.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 F CFA 428
$0.96 R 17.06
-20.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 F CFA 320
$0.75 R 13.31
-24.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 F CFA 1,388
$2.18 R 38.72
12.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$21.35 F CFA 12.1K
$2.54 R 45.1
740.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.35 F CFA 1,331
$1.1 R 19.58
113.64%
White Bread (500g)
$3.33 F CFA 1,887
$1.03 R 18.32
223.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
-
$1.56 R 27.71
-
Eggs
$4.49 F CFA 2,542
$2.25 R 39.93
99.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.95 F CFA 10.2K
$7.67 R 136
134.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.26 F CFA 9,772
$4.62 R 82.2
273.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.22 F CFA 7,483
$6.86 R 122
92.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 F CFA 1,741
$1.58 R 28.02
94.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 F CFA 823
$1.42 R 25.3
2.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.86 F CFA 1,617
$1.44 R 25.58
98.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 F CFA 1,305
$1.49 R 26.5
55.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 F CFA 890
$1.25 R 22.16
25.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 F CFA 1,031
$1.34 R 23.81
35.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.1 F CFA 53.8
$1.09 R 19.31
-90.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 F CFA 1,316
$0.96 R 17.15
141.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$0.95 F CFA 538
$2.9 R 51.6
-67.24%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.07 R 90.3
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 F CFA 836
$1.38 R 24.49
7.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.3 F CFA 736
$1.68 R 29.79
-22.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Mali
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.53 F CFA 2,567
$1.71 R 30.47
164.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$45.01 R 801
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.1 R 19.61
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 F CFA 687
$1.09 R 19.41
11.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.8 R 85.3
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 F CFA 681
$1.31 R 23.23
-8.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$21K R 374.2K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.7K R 421.3K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 F CFA 85.1K
$113 R 2,009
33.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$33.11 R 589
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.5 F CFA 32.5K
$41.49 R 738
38.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.4 F CFA 38.1K
$31.69 R 564
112.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.11 F CFA 2,327
$9.45 R 168
-56.51%
Cinema Ticket
$5.57 F CFA 3,152
$6.7 R 119
-16.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$77.9 F CFA 44.1K
$186 R 3,303
-58.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,336 R 77.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$48.56 R 864
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$30.74 R 547
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$92 R 1,636
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$79.6 R 1,415
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mali
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$172 F CFA 97.2K
$442 R 7,860
-61.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$80 F CFA 45.3K
$370 R 6,579
-78.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$398 F CFA 225.4K
$880 R 15.7K
-54.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$295 F CFA 166.7K
$724 R 12.9K
-59.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.3K F CFA 5.8M
$1,021 R 18.2K
906.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$832 F CFA 471K
$803 R 14.3K
3.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mali
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$267 F CFA 151.1K
$1,406 R 25K
-81.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.55
-

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mali: October 29, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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